The 8 Funniest Political Ads Of This Insane Year

Well, the seemingly never-ending saga of the 2016 campaign is almost over. It's been draining, upsetting, and rage-inducing, but let's be honest — it's often been hilarious too. We've been treated to an infinite amount of Trump Twitter Tantrums (which frequently included teenaged-style jargon like "haters & losers"); we witnessed amazing gems like Chris Christie looking like a hostage as he stood behind Trump at a press conference; we guffawed when Ivanka Trump plagiarized Michelle Obama's speech at the Republican National Convention. The list of laugh-worthy moments could go on for days. One thing that hasn't gotten enough love, though, is the wide variety of hilarious political ads released during the 2016 election.

Whether it’s candidates trying to attack each other, spreading inaccurate information, or trying to be self-deprecating, the 2016 race has delivered, and no one was safe — although Clinton and Trump were on the receiving end of most attack ads by far. Even Bernie Sanders, the most well-liked candidate of the year, wasn’t spared from being spoofed, and neither were senators and House Representatives engaged in down-ballot races. While there are many more out there to see and laugh at, here is a list of the eight funniest ads from the past year and a half.

1. "The Clinton Way" by Future45

In this ad, we see an actress impersonating Hillary Clinton and dramatically smashing a computer, a server, and a cell phone with a hammer. The over-the-top, Disney-villain-style grinning, and the goofy way randomly the actress waves her arms around and wields her tools makes this ad hard to take seriously or get angry at. The makers of this video, Future45, describes itself as, "[A]n independent organization devoted to educating voters about the challenges facing our country as they prepare to elect the 45th President of the United States."

2. "Hillary Has Failed Every Single Time" by the Trump Campaign

An ominous voiceover, amplified by apocalyptic music, warns viewers of the dangers facing our world: ISIS, North Korea, terrorist threats from Iran, and instability in Libya and North Africa. This ad then warns viewers of Clinton's weakness, lack of stamina, and inability to take on these challenges. In order to prove this, photos of Clinton coughing and stumbling on the campaign trail are presented in a grim tone. Personally, I can't help but laugh at the intense, foreboding atmosphere of the video being juxtaposed with pictures of Clinton coughing.

3. "President Barack Obama on Early Voting" by the Clinton Campaign

President Obama tries to help with the Clinton campaigns early voting initiative in this ad. He lists always being early as his best quality, which the deadpan campaign staffer in the video clearly finds annoying.

4. "Zany Professor" by NRCC

This ad attacks both Bernie Sanders and Zephyr Teachout, a law professor running against Republican John Faso to represent New York's 19th District. An impersonator portrays Teachout as a radical, left-wing politician for voters to fear. She is shown reading a book titled "Socialism for Beginners," owning a button reading “Socialists for Bernie Sanders,” a portrait of Che Guevara, and several other items with something referring to socialism on them. The video ends by not-so-subtly declaring, "She's just not one of us." One can't help but laugh at how over-the-top it is.

5. "It Fells Good To Be A Clinton" by the Ted Cruz campaign

Similar to Future45's ad, the Cruz campaign filmed a video of Clinton and her staffers destroying electronics with bats. The ad spoofs a scene from the movie Office Space and features a parody of the song "Damn It Feels Good to be a Gangsta" by Geto Boys. For the record, the Geto Boys did not appreciate their song being used as inspiration by the Cruz campaign.

6. "Joe Exotic's for President" by Canote Films

This write-in candidates campaign video is probably one of the best ever.

First thing is, I am not cutting my hair. I'm not changing the way I dress, I refuse to wear a suit. I am gay. I've had two boyfriends for the most of my life. I currently got legally married — thank God it's finally legal in America. I've had some kinky sex. I have tried drugs through the younger years of my life. I'm broke as sh*t. I have a judgment against me from b*tch down there in Florida.

He could have given Donald Trump a run for his money for the most unfiltered candidate of the race.

7. Will Ferrel: Typical, Run-of-the-Mill Millennial

The Clinton campaign filmed this commercial of Will Ferrell hilariously trying to convince millennials to vote by pretending to be a millennial himself. He tries (and fails) to sound relatable by using words like: bae, FOMO, on fleek, basic, no chill. It comes across as the Clinton campaign poking fun at itself (and its candidate) for struggling to bring in the youth vote.

8. "Please Re-Elect Gerald" by Gerald Daugherty

This is the best example of a candidate effectively making fun himself in an ad. Gerald Daugherty is running for re-election as Travis County Commissioner in Texas, and if we go by the ad, it's been driving everybody around him insane. The video show's Daugherty droning on to his wife and his friends about political issues he wants to tackle, boring them all. His wife tells viewers that he doesn't "have a lot of hobbies." Daugherty seems to start liking life at home throughout the ad, and it aptly ends with his wife pleading voters to re-elect him.

At least we can say that, despite all the ugliness this election produced, we can still look back and laugh at these videos.